On Tuesday morning, North Penn Now ran an editorial from Jennifer Diffley, whose son is a member of the North Penn Marching Knights. Within the editorial, Diffley stated that her son — whose quality of life had drastically improved since joining the Marching Knights — and others were the frequent target of bullies, alleging that members of the high school sports teams booed the band members and color guard during a recent pep rally for the newly renovated Crawford Stadium.
Diffley also alleged that the Marching Knights are frequently mistreated by students and spectators at events, specifically pointing to several incidents that allegedly occurred during last week’s matchup with Pennridge High School.
In an effort to secure comment and gain additional information, we contacted the district administration on Tuesday afternoon. After speaking to members of the band, as well as their families, North Penn Director of School and Community Engagement Christine Liberaski directed us to the following statement from the district, which has since been emailed to parents.
The statement reads, in full:
Dear North Penn Families,
Over the last several days, NPSD administration has been investigating incidents of unacceptable student behavior at last Friday’s North Penn High School football game. It came to our attention on Saturday that staff and student members of the Marching Knights reported incidents of bullying and harassment to differing degrees. There were also reports of attempts to damage instruments.
First and foremost, I want to say how disappointed I am with the conduct of some of our students. Although it is not representative of our entire student body, the actions of individual students reflect poorly on NPSD as a whole and are hurtful to many. Bullying, intimidation, and other acts of misbehavior will not be tolerated in our schools, on our fields, in the bleachers, or anywhere for that matter. We expect respect from our students in their treatment of others, and anything short of that will be addressed with disciplinary consequences.
In investigating actions at last week’s game, we relied heavily upon seven high-definition surveillance cameras installed at Crawford Stadium. Hours of footage were reviewed, and any type of misbehavior has been investigated, including identification of specific students involved and resulting in four students being excluded from attending any further events at Crawford Stadium this fall. Thankfully, we did not find that any NPHS instruments were damaged, though any attempt to do so is not acceptable. Plans are being made to further limit access of non-band members to band equipment. Unfortunately, a Pennridge trumpet was damaged when a NPSD student visiting friends on the visitor’s side bumped into the instrument. Our investigation did not find any malicious intent, but that it was an accident. The student is responsible for restitution.
There was also the disturbing report of a Marching Knights staff member being spit at that we took very seriously. Surveillance footage was viewed with this staff member and administration to determine how this happened and by whom. After a thorough review, both the administration and the staff member determined that the initial report was a mistake. There was no evidence on the recording of the incident occurring, and it was concluded that what the staff member felt must have been something else.
As to concerns about verbal harassment of our Marching Knights, it is extremely difficult to identify and determine the responsible individuals, though we fully believe the legitimacy of the reports and will take steps to stop this unacceptable behavior. In cases where we had specific student names, we did investigate and are following the NPSD Disciplinary Code when warranted. We have spoken with individual students, staff, and parents about their experiences Friday night, and have a meeting planned with parent leaders as well.
Moving forward, NPHS administration will continue to work with student leaders on our on-going goal of ensuring the school is a welcoming, safe place for all students. We will also remind students about expectations we have for them. This includes, first and foremost, that bullying and name-calling is not acceptable anywhere or any time. To review the NPHS spectator expectations please visit this link on the NP Athletics website.
As always, we will encourage students to report inappropriate behavior immediately so that it can be stopped. But I have to say that I trust in our students, and I believe that these unacceptable actions will not continue. We have been through so much this last year and a half. It is more important than ever that we are united as a school and a community.
We look forward to a wonderful Homecoming event this coming Friday evening, where the work of all participating students can be celebrated. We are quite proud of our band, our athletes, our student government leaders, our Homecoming Court, and our staff and students who are working hard to make this a memorable Homecoming!
I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish the Marching Knights well at the USBands Yamaha Cup regional championship at MetLife Stadium on Saturday. I know their hard work, determination, and NorthPennStrong attitude are going to pay off! If you’d like to see their talent firsthand, you can watch during Friday night’s “Fifth Quarter” at the homecoming football game when they will perform. If not attending in person, please tune into NPTV.
Finally, I want to thank the community for their patience as we aggressively investigated the situation at hand. Your support is always appreciated.
Sincerely,
Curtis R. Dietrich, Ed.D.
Superintendent
With the identification of seven surveillance cameras and the timing of the incidents, North Penn Now will be filing a Right to Know request for the security footage. The district will have up to 30 days to deny or release the footage — unless they request a 30-day extension. Should our request be denied, we plan on appealing the decision.
See also:
Editorial: The Mistreatment and Bullying of the Marching Knights Needs to End Now
For the North Penn Marching Knights, The Band Will Play On
‘Return to Play’ Procedures for Athletics, Marching Band Approved by North Penn School Board
In a Split Vote, North Penn School Board Approves High School Fall Sports for Upcoming School Year
